Yankees remove Aroldis Chapman from closer role

After a string of poor outings by Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees have finally reached their breaking point.

Prior to tonight’s game against the Boston Red Sox, Joe Girardi announced Chapman has been demoted as the Yankees’ closer. Girardi added Chapman could reclaim his ninth inning role if he pitches better from here on out.

Chapman had a few rough games, but the ones that were hard to swallow were the last two games against the Boston Red Sox, dating back to August 13th. While Chapman didn’t blow the save in last night’s game, he failed to stop the bleeding, which was when Girardi decided a change had to be made.

Chapman currently doesn’t have a set role with the team, so expect to see him earlier in the ballgame.

“I will use him at any point,” Girardi said.

News and Notes

— Masahiro Tanaka, who was placed on the disabled list last week after suffering from arm fatigue, is slated to pitch against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

— CC Sabathia was activated from the disabled list earlier this afternoon. As a corresponding move, the Yankees sent Jordan Montgomery to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— Greg Bird is making progress in his rehab stint, but the Yankees aren’t exactly rushing to bring the first baseman back. Girardi said that while Bird is making progress, it’s unlikely fans will see him with the team during the Red Sox series or the Detroit Tigers series. A potential return during the Seattle Mariners series at Yankee Stadium is still up in the air.